1 Thessaloniciens 2
1 Vous le savez vous-mêmes, frères, la visite que nous vous avons faite n'a pas été vaine,
My fellow believers, you know that our time with you was very worthwhile/effective [LIT].
2 mais, ayant souffert auparavant et ayant été traités honteusement, comme vous le savez, à Philippes, nous nous sommes enhardis dans notre Dieu pour vous annoncer la Bonne Nouvelle de Dieu, dans un grand conflit.
Although [people] in Philippi [city] previously mistreated us [(exc)] and insulted us, as you know, our God caused us to be courageous. As a result, we told you the good message [that originates/comes from] God, even though some [people in your city] also strongly (opposed [us/tried to prevent us from telling God’s message]).
3 Car notre exhortation n'est pas faite dans l'erreur, ni dans l'impureté, ni dans la tromperie.
When we exhorted/urged (OR, tried to convince) [you to obey God’s message], we did not tell you an untrue message. Instead, we told you a true message. We do not [want to get something for ourselves] by immoral means. We do not try to deceive [you or other people].
4 Mais, de même que nous avons été agréés par Dieu pour être chargés de la Bonne Nouvelle, ainsi nous parlons, non pour plaire aux hommes, mais à Dieu, qui éprouve nos cœurs.
On the contrary, we tell God’s message because he trusted us to do that, because he examined us and considered us [to be acceptable to tell people] the message about Christ. As we teach people, we do not say what they like to hear. Instead, [we say what] God [wants us to say, because] he examines everything that we think and what we desire.
5 Car il ne nous est jamais arrivé d'user de paroles flatteuses, comme vous le savez, ni d'un manteau de convoitise (Dieu en est témoin),
We never (flattered you/said nice things about you insincerely), as you know. We were never greedy, so we never needed to use words to (hide greediness [from you/cause you to think that we were not greedy]). God knows that this is true!
6 ni de rechercher la gloire des hommes (ni de vous ni des autres), alors que nous aurions pu prétendre à l'autorité comme apôtres de Christ.
We never tried to get people [to honor us],
7 Mais nous avons été doux au milieu de vous, comme une mère qui allaite ses enfants.
although we could have demanded [that you should honor/respect us], because we are apostles [who represent] (OR, [speak for]) Christ. On the contrary, we were gentle when we were among you, as a mother [gently] takes care of her own children [SIM].
8 Aussi, vous désirant ardemment, nous avons voulu vous communiquer, non seulement la Bonne Nouvelle de Dieu, mais aussi nos propres âmes, parce que vous nous étiez devenus très chers.
So, because we love you, we were delighted to personally tell you the good message that God [gave us]. But also we were delighted to lovingly do all that we could do to help you [SYN] because (you had become very dear to us/we had begun to love you very much).
9 Vous vous souvenez, frères, de notre travail et de notre peine; car, travaillant nuit et jour, pour n'être à charge à aucun de vous, nous vous avons annoncé la Bonne Nouvelle de Dieu.
My fellow believers, you remember that we worked very hard [DOU] [in order to] ([support ourselves/earn money to buy what we needed]) [while we were with you]. We worked [during the] day and [also at] night in order that we would not have to ask any one of you to give us what we needed, [while] we proclaimed to you the good message that God [gave us].
10 Vous êtes témoins devant Dieu de la sainteté, de la justice et de l'irréprochabilité avec lesquelles nous nous sommes conduits envers vous qui croyez.
You know that it is true, and God knows that it is true, that we conducted our lives in a very pure, right, and faultless [DOU] manner toward you believers.
11 Vous le savez, nous avons exhorté, consolé et supplié chacun de vous, comme un père le fait pour ses enfants,
You know also that [we lovingly behaved/acted toward] each one of you, just like a father [lovingly behaves/acts toward] his own children [SIM].
12 afin que vous marchiez d'une manière digne de Dieu, qui vous appelle à son royaume et à sa gloire.
[Specifically, we] kept strongly exhorting/urging and encouraging you that you conduct your lives in the way that God’s people should, [because] he has invited you to become his people over whom he will rule in a wonderful way [HEN].
13 C'est pourquoi nous rendons aussi sans cesse grâces à Dieu de ce que, lorsque vous avez reçu de nous la parole du message de Dieu, vous l'avez accueillie non comme une parole d'hommes, mais comme la vérité, la parole de Dieu, qui agit aussi en vous qui croyez.
We also continually thank God because when you heard the message [that] we told to you, you accepted it as the true message, the good message that God [gave to us]. We did not invent it. [We also thank God] that he is changing your lives because you trust this message [PRS].
14 Car vous, frères, vous êtes devenus les imitateurs des assemblées de Dieu qui sont en Judée dans le Christ Jésus; car vous aussi, vous avez souffert les mêmes choses de la part de vos compatriotes, comme ils l'ont fait de la part des Juifs
My fellow believers, we [know that you sincerely believed the message from God], because the manner in which you acted was just like the manner in which [the congregations] in Judea acted. They also [worship] God, [and they] ([have a close relationship with/are united to]) Christ Jesus. Specifically, you endured it [when] your own countrymen [mistreated you because you believe the message from God], in the same manner that those [Jewish believers in Judea] endured it [when] the Jews [who do not believe in Christ mistreated them].
15 qui ont tué le Seigneur Jésus et leurs propres prophètes, et qui nous ont chassés, et qui ne plaisent pas à Dieu, et qui sont contraires à tous les hommes,
[Unbelieving Jews are] the ones whom God considers guilty [for] killing the Lord Jesus, as well as [for killing] many prophets. Other unbelieving Jews forced us to leave [many towns]. They really make God angry; and [they are] opposed to [what is best for] all human beings!
16 nous empêchant de parler aux païens pour qu'ils soient sauvés, pour qu'ils remplissent toujours leurs péchés. Mais la colère est venue sur eux jusqu'à l'extrême.
[Specifically], when we tell [the good message] to non-Jewish people in order that they can be saved {[that God] will save them} [spiritually], these [unbelieving Jews] try to stop/prevent us from doing that. Because they continually sin more and more, they are almost reaching the limit that has been [set by God] [MET]! [God] will soon punish them [MTY], at last, for all their sins!
17 Mais nous, frères, privés de vous pour peu de temps, en présence et non dans le cœur, nous nous sommes efforcés de voir votre visage avec un grand désir,
My fellow believers, when for a short time [IDM] [those people forced us to be separated] from you, [we felt like parents] (who had lost all their children/whose children had died) [MET]. [Although] we were far away from you, [we were still] emotionally [concerned about you], and we strongly desired to be present with you.
18 car nous voulions venir à vous, moi, Paul, une fois et l'autre, mais Satan nous en a empêchés.
[You can know that] we wanted to return to you. Indeed I, Paul, [tried to return] twice [IDM]. But [we did not return because] each time Satan [prevented us from returning].
19 Car quelle est notre espérance, ou notre joie, ou notre couronne de réjouissance? N'est-ce pas vous, devant notre Seigneur Jésus à son avènement?
[We were strongly desiring to be with you], because truly you [RHQ] [are the ones about whom we are proud and joyful]! It is because we are confident that you [will] ([remain faithful/continue believing in God]) that we [will be] joyful! You are the ones who we confidently expect [will keep strongly trusting in God!] It is because you [will] ([remain faithful/continue believing in God]) that we [will] be proud [of the work that we have done] [MET, RHQ] [when] our Lord Jesus [examines what we all have done, at the time] when he comes back [to earth]!
20 Car vous êtes notre gloire et notre joie.
Indeed, it is because of you that [even now we] are pleased and joyful!
